Zanzibar Bay Resort & Spa

This resort is amazing with its meals, pool by the beach, overwater bar and multiple international cuisine. However, it is far and remote so best only by car. I enjoyed my stay though with the blackouts.

I am currently here with my Wife. The staff are polite and helpful. The 2pm check in is frankly ridiculous for those arriving early in the day. The decision to operate this policy is clearly not for the comfort and convenience of the guests. I refuse to accept that all vacant rooms were being clean simultaneously for five hours. The food is plentiful varied and mostly well cooked and delicious, however my wife is vegetarian and has struggled for choice on a couple of occasions. I would dfinitetly recommend the Namaste restaraunt. There are three restaraunts to use but two need to be booked before 6pm. The rooms are basic but spotlessly clean and the beds are big and firm, I sleep well but there is nowhere to comfortably sit. Just one wooden chair. The shower in our room has weak pressure but works and is warm. The entertainment is not good. and this is why I only gave four stars. I think that this needs attention. (One night was a 'silent cinema' showing of sleeping beauty) There is no central hub for artists. The acrobat show (very good) was by a pool and the audience had to perch on sunbeds as there are very few seats. The jetty and jetty bar are cool and breezy places to sunbathe peacefully and enjoy a cocktail. The A.I. drinks are good. I have paid extra for a taste of something different. The spa and gym is clean, bright and professionally run. The beach boys (Hi Thomas!) are persistent and offer trips. Although I booked mine through the hotel, I have heard that they can be trusted. In summary, I have enjoyed this holiday and the hotel is great but I would have liked more of a fun evening vibe. Unless taking many excursions, I would say that one week is enough.

I am writing this review whilst still in the resort and I have to say for what we paid for a family of 4, we have had/having a great time. The hotel albeit not very old has rustic charm given the materials they use and their determination to recycle, however even though the hotel is only 5-years old they are now renovating the balconies around the main pool, which can be sometimes annoying due to drilling. The staff here, in my opinion are extremely friendly and Jambo "Hello" is the word you will always hear. Reception: We arrived in the resort at about 9am but couldn't get into our rooms until 2pm, which after 20-hours of travel is a pain and it appears that many guests arrive early so perhaps the hotel should think about revising their check in times? Rooms: The rooms are lovely, rustic and minimalist but comfy. They are cleaned very day and you can have your bed/towels changed as often as you like, you just need to make it known. There is a mosquito net over the bed, which the maids let down every night, whilst also spraying the room. We have been bit several times by mosquitoes so make sure you take plenty of sprays. Pools: We only sat round the Zanzibar Bay main pool, which was very nice. It has a bar that opens from 10am through until 7pm serving soft drinks and alcohol. The beer is nice and poured out of bottles so l imagine not watered down and the spirit measures are plentiful. The sun beds are a little uncomfortable but you get used to them. Look out for the resident monkey who is great entertainment and a great photo opportunity. Bars: As well as the pool bar around the Zanzibar Bay pool, there is also one around the Paradise Beach hotel side (guests can use either). There is the Coconut Bar, which closes at 11pm and a lot of guests drink in this bar in the evening. A special mention to Masoud who is a brilliant bar tender and so friendly. Restaurants: There are 3 restaurants, main buffet, which is ok but like all main buffets can get a bit repetitive. Breakfasts in my opinion are limited but you can always find something to eat. The Indian and Asian restaurants were great and have to be booked in the morning but are very tasty and well worth several visits. Trips: We spent days out on trips, Nmemba Island, which was snorkelling, dolphin spotting and sand bank, we also did a 3-stop trip, which was Spice Farm, Prison Island and Stone Town, which was a full day and dragged on a bit but was still interesting and finally we did another boat trip, which consisted of seeing the Rock restaurant, snorkelling in the blue lagoon, star fish and relaxing on Mangrove Island, which was excellent value for money. Weather: We stayed from 5th July for 2-weeks and the weather has been mixed, sun, cloud, rain but I think it's the norm for this island and definitely unpredictable but it was around 30 degrees each day and warm enough at night for t-shirt and shorts. Summary: I think because of the distance and the fact there are only so many things to do

We came to this hotel on the 2nd of October 2024. We were in room 122 which is directly outside the main swimming pool near the beach. This hotel is a wonderful hotel and has all the ameenities you could wish for. We had a lovely stay at this hotel and I must say the staff was so very friendly indeed And very, very helpful. There was plenty of food however it was extremely bland and considering you’re on the spice island there was no herbs or spices used which is a big disappointment indeed hence my reduction in my score. We went to the Indian restaurant one night and this was the best night we’ve had food wise to be honest. I would’ve expected much better quality of food as well because the beef was very very tough no matter what you had for example the beef burgers, the meatballs or the beef stew. I feel what needs to happen is rather than having separate restaurants. Have one big restaurant where spicy food is served as well as non-spicy food for those that can’t take spices Because to be honest when you come to a country like this you expect food to have good flavour. Also normally when you arrive at a hotel you are offered a welcome drink. This was not given at all in fact we found the reception to be very cold indeed and not very welcoming, however Jennifer from crab tours based on the grounds of the hotel while talking to us and albeit not her job, she offered to get us a drink so that was extremely kind of her And also she guided me to the poolside with my dad when my mum needed to nip to the loo. A couple of things that need really looking into sincerely are the lack of bottled water. This is not acceptable at all because you had to use the water coolers on site and wait for your bottles to be filled up in your room by the cleaner Bottles of water should be available right across the complex. Another thing that really does need looking into is the fact that the toilets are not bolted to the floor so they are mobile and finally the one really big thing is it inside the shower area it is extremely slippy. You need rubber matting in there or something to stop. You potentially slipping and falling we had to use towels on many occasions. Also in the rooms you did not get a telephone so if you needed help and support you couldn’t get it without physically going to reception. Prior to our arrival we did ask for a room on the ground floor and they managed to do this for us due to my visual impairment which was fabulous. Also we asked if we could keep the room on until we left this was accepted as well once we explained my visual impairment to reception. For me though the big thing that they need to look into as well is rather than you having to wait until your last day to see if you can keep your room you should be able to ask do so upon arrival because the room could get booked up whilst you are staying there. Also, if the room is available, you shouldn’t be charged for it because you have paid plenty for the holiday anyway. And finally the one

We booked Zanzibar Bay Resort as part of a package holiday through TUI. In all honestly, the photos on the TUI website don’t do the hotel justice, it is so much better than we had anticipated it being. The hotel is immaculate and staff work tirelessly to ensure it’s kept clean and well maintained. There are also additional touches, with staff setting up your mosquito nets each night etc. It has to be said that staff are amongst some of the loveliest I have ever encountered. Andrew, one of the waiters, was a particular favourite- he always took time to speak with us during dinner service and was just such so friendly. The staff group as a whole are fantastic and I honestly can’t speak highly enough of their hard work to make the hotel an enjoyable place for the guests. As vegetarians, we were apprehensive about the food, but we needn’t have been, as the food choices were plentiful and varied. We were there for 13 nights, and the food wasn’t repeated either, so plenty of choice. The pools are clean, well maintained and at all bars etc, the service is quick. My only slight niggle would be the street sellers on the beach, who do make a beeline for you when crossing onto the jetty. However they are all friendly enough and do leave you alone if you show little interest in what they are selling. Obviously the hotel has no control over this, and the street sellers do not enter the perimeters of the hotel at any time. Also I would say that because of the low tides, the beach at the back of the resort is not really ideal for swimming. However there are so many beautiful beaches in Zanzibar which are easily accessible. Don't let it be a reason to put you off, but if you are someone who likes a morning dip in the sea, then you may be disappointed if you book the hotel for the beachfront. All in all, I can’t fault the hotel- it was an incredible stay and we wouldn’t hesitate to book here again in future!

The staff is generally very nice, always smiling and caring. The hotel's facilities are neat and maintained and cleaned daily. The pool area is nice but for a rather annoying guy trying to sell spa treatments and safaris. His behavior towards women was in a way disrespectful. Enough sunbeds around the pool. The downside of the hotel is the beach. It's terrible. Some of the food (chicken) tastes very good, but the beef was overcooked and tough. The fish was spares and also overcooked. We missed fresh seafood. The salad bar was excellent. The meals quickly became repetitive. Wifi is Ok. We enjoyed our stay but will not be returning